According to projections, Ghana’s population is expected to rise by 20 million between now and 2050, reaching over 53 million in the following 26 years. The population of the nation is 33, 007, 618 million at the moment, 1.07 times larger than the projected 30.8 million in 2021. With the exception of Oti Region, which would have a population of less than one million, 15 of the 16 areas would have more than one million residents during that time. Furthermore, six of the nation’s regions—particularly the northern ones—would continue to be predominately rural during the course of the next 26 years.
Professor Ayaga A. Bawah, the Director of the University of Ghana Regional Institute of Population Studies (RIPS), made this statement during the launch of the Ghana Stats Mobile Application and the first district rankings report, as well as the distribution of Ghana’s population prospects and district-level population projections. The Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) and the University collaborated to organize the program, which featured a discussion on the demographic patterns in the nation and their implications for national development. Additionally, the Ghana Stats Mobile Application was introduced.
Prof. Bawah spoke on the topic of “Key messages from 2024 revision of the World Population Prospects – Policy implications from the 2021 Population and Housing and Census (PHC) Thematic Report on Population Projections (2021-2050).” She stated that women and children were the main contributors to the projected population increase and that it would have an impact on the nation’s development. According to him, the government will need to prepare and accommodate an extra 20 million people due to the anticipated growth in population. Prof. Bawah warned that if infrastructure planning was neglected, the growing population will have an influence on the consumption of electricity, water, and infrastructure, especially in Accra.
According to him, youth now make up the majority of the population and will continue to do so, which presents a useful demographic dividend for the nation to capitalize on. Prof. Bawah emphasized that the government must implement intentional policies to enhance infrastructure, energy, and water resources in order to capitalize on the youth bulge. He emphasized the necessity of creating job opportunities for young people in order to absorb the increasing number of unemployed youngsters and to raise funding for skill-training programs that will prepare them for the workforce.
During a presentation on the District Population Projections (2021-2050), Dr. Faustina Frempong-Ainguah, the Deputy Government Statistician, stated that there were slightly more girls than males. According to her prediction, the population of the nation would grow by roughly 711, 706 people annually between now and 2030. In a statement made on behalf of the government, Prof. Kwaku Appiah-Adu, Senior Policy Advisor at the Office of the Vice President, reaffirmed the government’s commitment to using the nation’s demographic data to accelerate national development. He praised the GSS for producing microdata at the population and district levels, which allows for the provision of disaggregated information to support planning and decision-making.
District-level statistics based on the 2010 and 2021 PHCs would be made available with the launch of the Ghana Stats Mobile App, according to government statistician Prof. Samuel K. Annim. According to him, data consumers could access levels and rankings for each of Ghana’s 261 districts as well as indicators at the national and regional levels through the user-friendly mobile application. Professor Kofi Awusabo-Asare, Emeritus Professor at the University of Cape Coast Department of Population and Health, stated that state policies should adequately address the needs of young people. He also added that data-driven policymaking is necessary for all government institutions.
SOURCE: https://dew360.net
Join our WhatsApp channel: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VakDz4u9RZATWh53yC1a
